What we see most
Common back problems we treat
"I tweaked it lifting"
Acute strains and disc irritation from deadlifts, squats, yard work, or one bad morning. Fast, structured early care shortens the whole arc.
Pain running down the leg
Sciatica and nerve-root irritation. We test what centralizes your symptoms and build the plan around it.
The back that always comes back
Recurring flare-ups every few months are a capacity problem, not bad luck. Strength is the long-term fix.
Why R1 is different
Backs don't need bed rest. They need a plan.
The standard experience for back pain is a rushed visit, a generic stretch sheet, and "stop lifting." The evidence says the opposite: backs recover through confident, progressive movement. Your 90-minute evaluation identifies the actual driver, whether that's hip mobility, bracing strategy, nerve sensitivity, or training load, and treatment starts the same day.
Care combines manual therapy, dry needling, and cupping for symptom control with a strength progression on the training floor, so the plan ends with you lifting again, not managing around a "bad back" forever.
Low back FAQs
Straight answers
Should I get an MRI before starting PT?
Usually not. Most low back pain, including many disc and sciatica presentations, is treated effectively without imaging. Findings like "degeneration" appear in pain-free people too. If your exam shows red flags, we refer you the same day.
Is it a disc? Is it sciatica?
Leg symptoms change the plan, so your evaluation tests nerve mobility, strength, and which movements centralize or worsen symptoms. You leave knowing what it is, what it is not, and exactly what to do first.
Should I rest or keep lifting?
Almost never full rest. Backs recover with modified, confident movement. We keep you training around the problem while we fix it, with clear load guidelines instead of fear.
I have had back pain for years. Is it too late?
No. Chronic backs respond to graded strength work and a plan that addresses why it keeps coming back (hips, bracing strategy, load management), not just where it hurts.
Training past 50? Read why strength after 50 is the best insurance your back can buy.
Next step
Stop guessing about your back.
90-minute evaluation, root-cause diagnosis, first treatment included. Troy, MI.